“I was ecstatic when I got the news,” Co-Chair Vickey McDonald said.

“When I heard the amount, I started crying right there.”

After losing so many friends and family members to cancer, the Relay allows participants like McDonald a way to fight the disease first hand.

“It always gives me hope,” she said. This year’s overall fundraising goal was $100,000 was well exceeded.

“We were all very excited about that,” Co-Chair Chris Dube said.

“Jefferson County has really supported the Relay.

The committee has been excellent. They’re hard working, dedicated folks.

We really couldn’t have done any of this without them, the captains and teams who worked so hard.”

The money raised goes back to the American Cancer Society to be used for research, advocacy and education.“

It goes towards research towards a cure, advocacy for the many laws that goes through our legislature that can affect cancer patients’ rights and improving educational efforts so that more cancers can be caught earlier through screenings in hopes of minimizing the diagnoses. Dube said that local law enforcement estimated there were around 2,500 people at the event at the height of its activity Friday evening.

The event opened at 6 p.m.

with more than 160 area cancer survivors taking to the track to lead the teams in the opening lap.

“From everything I’ve heard, that’s the most survivors we’ve ever had take part,” Garrett said.

“We had 125 preregister. I was just thrilled that so many showed up. And then the weather held out, oh, it was wonderful.”

Awards were given for Most Money Raised by a Team. C.J.’s Animals took first, raising $30,795.07.

First State Bank, one of the few teams that has been a part of the local relay since its inception, took second, raising $15,685.99.

The Seeker’s, a new team this year, took third raising $10,020.

Amounts raised by other teams include: Queensborough National Bank at $9,042.52, Mt. Horeb at $8,911.47, J.M. Huber $8,800, Disciples For Life at $7,918.72, Wrens Middle School at $7,466.70, Schoolhouse Rockers at $4,546.50, Glit/Microtron at $3,817, Regions Bank at $3,817.36, Jefferson Hospital at $3,593.78, The Pac Team $2,093, Crystal Garrer’s Team of Hope at $1,646, The Heritage of Old Capitol at $1,509 and Friends for Life at $370.

Other awards included Most Money Raised by a School, which went to Wrens Middle School; and Most Money Raised By a Bank, which went to First State.

The Seekers were recognized with the Team Spirit Award.

Rande Williford received the Individual Spirit Award. Mt. Horeb Baptist Church, another first-year team, was recognized for both the Best Campsite and the Survivor’s Choice Award.

Judges for the talent show included Sydney McGahee, Rita Culvern, Dollye Ward, Sandra Jones and Gloria Brown.

Corporate sponsors were responsible for $18,500.

They include Glit, Wrens Medical Associates, First State Bank, C.J.’s Animals, Queensborough National Bank, Jefferson Energy, Regions, M.B. Jones Oil Company, W.T. Lamb Investment, Wrens Dental Center, Disciples For Life, J.M. Huber Corporation, Mt. Horeb Baptist Church, Dixon Builders, Lamb Lumber Company, Atwell Pecan Company, Wrens Finance, City of Wrens, Jay’s, WPEH and The News and Farmer/The Jefferson Reporter.

The co-chairs said that there may be a few more funds that continue to trickle in over the next couple of weeks, but that the total raised should be available by the time the event’s wrap-up meeting, which is yet to be scheduled.

Federal agency approves area pipeline project

By Carol McLeod
Staff Writer

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates and oversees energy industries in the economic, environmental, and safety interests of the American public, was scheduled to issue a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in January regarding a proposal by the El Paso Corporation to create a pipeline from Elba Island near Savannah to Anderson County, S.C.

The pipeline would be approximately 190 miles and pass through the north end of Jefferson County. The impact statement was not released until March 30, according to Bill Baerg of the El Paso Corporation.

The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

The company has already held a series of town hall meetings in effected communities.

The proposed route would bring the pipeline through Wrens, Baerg said.

“We have filed that as our proposed route.

So depending on what we get the approval on will determine our route,” he said.

Information from the report states, “FERC’s environmental staff concludes that the Elba III Project with appropriate mitigating measures, as recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service cooperated in the preparation of the draft EIS.”

The draft states the length of pipeline to be about 187 miles in Georgia and South Carolina with a new 10,000-horsepower compressor station in Georgia and associated aboveground facilities.

FERC staff concluded the project would be acceptable environmentally, with appropriate mitigation. Among other items, the draft states the proposal would be an expansion of an existing and fully operational import terminal with an established deep-water slip and established exclusion zones.

The ship and associated escort vessels would use an existing shipping corridor, dredge spoil would be disposed of properly, safety features would be incorporated into the design and operation and the proposed pipeline would parallel existing right of way for more than half the length, the draft states. A complete report may be found at FERC’s website, www.ferc.gov.

FERC commissioners will take into consideration staff’s recommendations and the final EIS when they make a decision on the project, the report states.

“There will still be a period now where after the report’s been issued the public will have a comment period on the report and then the FERC will either make changes or they will issue a final report in the future,” Baerg said.

“We’re pleased to see that the FERC has released this draft report and we look forward to moving this important energy infrastructure project forward in the approval process.”

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